NORTH ARM WILDLIFE VIEWING TRAIL

Access: Next to Hwy. 162 on north side of Pineview Reservoir.

Elevation: Beginning: 4,930 feet Ending: 4,930

Length: 0.8 mile loop

Use: Light - Hiking, Cross-country skiing

Difficulty: Easy

Season: Four season

USGS Map: Huntsville

Directions: North Arm Wildlife Viewing Trail begins on the north side of Pineview Reservoir. At Pineview Reservoir Dam, turn north from Utah 39 to Utah 162 towards Eden and Liberty. Drive 3.8 miles to the North Arm Trailhead just past where you cross the North Fork of the Ogden River. Park in paved lot.

The North Arm Wildlife Viewing Trail runs through a riparian-wetland area featuring dense riparian and marsh vegetative communities. The site is the inlet of the North Fork Ogden River into Pineview Reservoir. A wide variety of songbirds, waterfowl and raptors are common residents. With the spring thaw, the Ogden River and its tributaries abound with mountain trout. This trail offers an opportunity to get very close to a natural riparian community of plants and animals. This is an excellent outdoor classroom for young and old alike.

For the early hunters and trappers there were deer, blue grouse, sage chicken, elk, mountain sheep, moose, waterfowl and an occasional bear and mountain lion. Interpretive signs guide you along the trail describing the various animals. The extent of marsh habitat varies with Pineview Reservoir water level. It is an excellent area to view the autumn colors in late September and October.

The peninsula to the east is known as Browning Point. At the end are capped artesian wells that are a source of water for the city of Ogden. Artesian wells were the main source of water to early residents of Weber County. The wells were known to have the finest water in the world for its quality. After Pineview Dam was built in 1934 to reduce the spring flooding, washouts and slides in Ogden Canyon, 48 of the artesian wells that had supplied water are now beneath the surface of the Pineview Reservoir.

Each spring, this trail is impacted by high water and flooding when water overflows the banks of the North Fork of the Ogden River. This is a natural part of the wetland ecosystem and the Forest Service must be careful not to adversely impact this sensitive riparian area with the presence of the trail or by your actions as visitors.

This trail is a great place to try out your cross-country skis because of the easy flat terrain.

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Tread Lightly at all times.